Gold on canvases and the philosophy of creativity of Viktor Alshevsky: visited the artist’s studio

How does one of the most original Russian masters of the brush work, why does he put precious metals on canvases and why is it necessary to turn off the phone for the sake of discipline? Correspondents of the Minsk-Novosti agency looked into the creative laboratory of the Belarusian painter, graphic artist and teacher Viktor Alshevsky.

All children are artists

The name of V. Alshevsky has long become synonymous with deep philosophical intellectuality in art. The winner of the State Prize of Belarus has created his own recognizable style, which critics and the author himself ironically call alshevism.

- The child always wants something special and beautiful. Attitude to beauty and gives birth to an artist in a person. I developed this skill in stages. Initially, he entered the Republican Boarding School for Music and Fine Arts (now the I. O. Akhremchik College of Arts Gymnasium), then the Belarusian Theater and Art Institute (now the Belarusian State Academy of Arts). Thus, he carried the love of creativity throughout his life. It could have happened otherwise. My uncle was a military man and insisted that I go to Suvorov school. But I did not pass the competition and decided to become an artist. Discovering your creative potential is not an easy task. I fundamentally did not want to follow the path of banal copying of nature and chose the direction of philosophical reflection, Alshevsky said.

Over time, each author forms his own approach, thanks to which his works become recognizable. Thus, Marc Chagall has figures of people floating in the sky, a rejection of the laws of the usual perspective, bright colors on canvases. Salvador Dali is characterized by academic precision, mixed with insane images, and working with the unconscious. Alshevsky also has his own style. In his works, ancient myths paradoxically intertwine with cosmic distances, and in the very center of the universe is invariably a woman. Since the 1990s, the master made a technological breakthrough - he began to apply the thinnest gold and silver metal plates directly to the canvases. This author’s formula radically changes the space of the picture, turning it into a precious object of figurative comprehension.

Inspiration and discipline

- Some paintings have to be worked on for years. It also happens that the canvas does not come out. Then I paint it and start working again, the master said.

According to V. Alshevsky, before writing a work you need preparation. A poet, for example, can immediately start working on a poem after an idea has arisen. The artist will not succeed, especially if he creates a large canvas. To begin with, it is necessary to collect material, as well as clearly understand both the semantic component and the composition. Inspiration alone can't paint a picture. It can give you energy for half an hour, but then you need discipline.

The author notes that the creative energy is not exhausted, you should look at the world with open eyes. Walking down the street, the artist must turn off the phone and just contemplate. His brain, tuned to perception, must constantly work and receive nourishment.

- I do creativity every day. Previously, he got up at 4:00 and kept diaries, on the basis of which in 2005 the book “Impression of Equilibrium, or Stairs Up” was published in the publishing house “Art Literature”. On its pages I reflect on philosophical and creative searches, the source said. I wake up at 6:00 and go to work. There is no music or television in the workshop, all to concentrate on the canvas. I don’t watch movies at home, because I see art as a movie. Painting is so overwhelming that I sometimes forget to drink water. Besides, I don't think about whether I'll get paid or not. The most important customer of my work is myself.

Sometimes people in the arts become self-contained and refuse to continue working on a project. In this case, V. Alshevsky advises to get out of bed and go. When a person overcomes a distance of 3, 5, 10 km, the internal load will fall and energy will appear. Another tip from the artist is to take a cold shower. After that, it will be easier to create.

Muses and the Family Ark

The master has a surprisingly harmonious and creative family, acting as his main reliable rear. Svetlana’s wife is a doctor, but she plays the piano and writes poetry. Now her debut poetry collection is ready for publication, which her husband decorated with graphic illustrations. Daughter Victoria chose the path of a television director.

Favorite women regularly become the main characters of V. Alshevsky’s paintings – their images are immortalized on the canvases “Self-portrait with his wife and daughter”, “Victoria’s birthday”, “Svetlana” and “Romantic image”. The artist admits: he was lucky to be born on September 21, on the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God. Perhaps that is why the image of a woman causes him a sacred awe. One of the brightest performances in the career of the master is the creation of a unique white dress painted by hand with gold and silver lilies – Christian symbols of the Virgin Mary, purity and perfection.

For large-scale canvases, the author uses a spacious workshop provided by the Union of Artists of Belarus, where he is actively developing conceptual projects.

Currently, V. Alshevsky is engaged in the project “Earth is a cosmic ark”. The exhibition was successfully demonstrated at the Mikhail Savitsky Art Gallery in Minsk. The project continues to evolve and includes three global themes: the metamorphosis of the Trojan horse, the migration of consciousness and the alarm (an alarm warning to humanity).

At the stage of collecting materials and developing the first sketches is no less ambitious project "Portraits of cosmonauts". The master planned to create about 150 unique, philosophically reinterpreted portraits of the conquerors of the universe.

Photo by Sergei Mitsevich